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Show "By the way," she said with a coy expression, "you're coming to my party tomorrow afternoon, aren't you?" He hadn't forgotten. He hung his head, staring at the grass. "I. . . 1 guess so." Then he blurted, "That is, if Cap Mullins is coming too, I am." "Well, Joshua O'Tosh, he's no such thing'." Her eyes grew wide and she gasped in indignation. "That darn Cap Mullins doesn't even wear shoes half the time. He's only half civilized. And besides. .. you know. . . ." Josh didn't budge. "Cap's okay-he's my friend." Still scuffing his toe in the grass, Josh didn't look up, but he could hear the girl sputter in dismay. "Oh, you boys," she finally wailed. "All right, but I wasn't going to! Mother said I didn't have to invite all my classmates." She turned on her heel, and at that moment occurred one of those accidents of timing on which sometimes hang the fate of men and nations. Now Mary Alice was the fond owner of a large chocolate-point Siamese cat named Caesar. It was the one cat in all of Jericho that Chinook regarded as an arch-enemy. Whereas the other cats ran and provided fair sport, Caesar more than once had stood and split the malamute's nose with his razor claws. Caesar chose this moment to come dashing to his mistress's side. Feigning surprise at seeing the dog, the cat spit contemptuously toward Chinook and launched himself toward the tree limb. Only momentarily did the cat rest there. As the dog's neck hair rose and his tail lowered menacingly, the cat arched through the air to land atop the eggs in the wagon. Tail whipping, Caesar next lit out past |